Meth explosion blows out windows, front porch of Portage home, police

PORTAGE, MI — The front porch was blown off of a house at 514 W. Van Hoesen Boulevard shortly after midnight in what Portage authorities say was a methamphetamine-related explosion.

According to a news release from Portage Public Safety, at 12:02 a.m. Monday, Jan. 28, police and fire units were dispatched to Wendy's restaurant on the corner of South Westnedge and West Van Hoesen Boulevard on a report that a man had walked up with burns on his hands.

A few minutes later, a neighbor in the 500 block of West Van Hoesen Boulevard called to report an explosion. Officers found the location of the explosion at 514 W. Van Hoesen. The front porch wall of the home had been blown off and the windows blown out. No one was at the home, but witnesses told police they saw several people leaving the home on foot after the explosion. A neighbor was evacuated until it was safe to return.

The man at Wendy's with the burned hands admitted to cooking methamphetamine at the time of the explosion, police said. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital and a search warrant was served on the residence.

Meth-making components were located inside the home.

Portage Department of Public Safety is continuing the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Portage Department of Public Safety at 329-4567 or Silent Observer at 343-2100, .